The ship passed through the Far East and finally stopped at Mombasa Port in the East African colony.
Through telegrams sent from East Africa to Europe, Ernst learned that Maximilian I had been successfully rescued.
What was both laughable and exasperating was that, after learning in East Africa that Ernst had sent people to fish him out, Maximilian I refused to return to Europe no matter what. He clung to the East African colony and would not take another step forward.
He even sent a telegram ordering his son-in-law, whom he had never met, not to reveal his whereabouts to the Habsburgs.
Ernst did not dare make such a decision on his own. After receiving news that Maximilian I was safe, he still informed Empress Dowager Sophie.
Long before Mexico announced that it would execute Maximilian I, the nations of Europe had already received the news. Many royal leaders had demanded that Juárez not execute Maximilian I.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was naturally among them, but Maximilian I was far too stubborn. When Napoleon III fled back then, he had even called for Maximilian I to come with him, yet Maximilian I had insisted on living and dying alongside Mexico. In the end, he was captured by Juárez's government.
Although Empress Carlota sought aid in Europe, the various nations either lacked the ability to send troops to Mexico or had no desire to interfere in Mexico's affairs. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had just suffered defeat in the Prussian-Austrian War and was locked in a standoff with Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. Naturally, its navy had no spare capacity to cross the Atlantic Ocean and interfere in Mexico's internal affairs.
Thus, the nations could only send telegrams urging Juárez to change his mind, but Juárez remained bent on having Maximilian I shot.
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